Cowboys' complete and utter dysfunction on display in embarrassing loss to Bears
It's Week 14, and the Cowboys' 2019 season continues to unravel. But before we dive in, enjoy these:
- Somehow, if the season ended today, the Cowboys would host a playoff game.
- Troy Aikman has an interesting suggestion for Jason Garrett.
- No team is perfect. Here's a list of what every NFL team needs this offseason.
- Steve Belichick sounds *just* like his dad. It's quite alarming.
- Despite what you might have read or heard, it's too early to bury the Patriots.
- The Week 14 picks are in! Who wins the huge 49ers-Saints showdown?
- As always, we're here to help you set that fantasy football lineup.
Now for a closer look at the action:
Week 14's best and brightest
About last night: Bears 31, Cowboys 24 -- The Cowboys are in an absolute tailspin and have allowed the rival Eagles and (AND!) Redskins to remain in the NFC East race. The Bears, meanwhile, have won three straight behind the improved play of Mitchell Trubisky, who has accounted for 7 TDs in the previous two games.
Quick look at Week 14
- Game of the Week: San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints -- The race for home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs is going to be lit. As it stands now, the 10-2 49ers would be a wild-card team and have to play a road playoff game against the Cowboys. The Saints also are 10-2 and sit in the top NFC playoff spot in "if the season ended today" scenarios.
- Game of the Week II: Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots -- The Patriots enter this rematch of last season's AFC championship game after a demoralizing loss that had some questioning Tom Brady's football-playing future. This feels like a classic Patriots bounce-back game. If it isn't, well, then the Patriots might have real issues.
- There Just Aren't Enough TVs Game of the Week: Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills -- That 1 p.m. ET time slot Sunday is going to be bonkers. This game got ratcheted up a notch when the Bills clobbered the Cowboys on national TV on Thanksgiving. How will one of the NFL's top defenses fare against human highlight reel Lamar Jackson?
- Sneaky-Good Game of the Week: Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams -- The previous three matchups between these two teams have been decided by a combined eight points, including a 30-29 Thursday night thriller back in Week 5. The Rams are in must-win mode against a Seahawks team that's in the pole position in the NFC West.
- Dud of the Week: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles -- It's a bit of a buzzkill that the main storyline for the Monday night game is the return of Eli Manning.
TOP PICS: Bears-Cowboys | Cheerleaders | NFL at 100
Week 12 essentials: Picks and more
- Week 14 picks: USA TODAY Sports' panel of experts has provided fans with the great public service of making prognostications for every NFL game this weekend.
- Lorenzo's locks: Listen up as Lorenzo Reyes makes his picks against the spread for some of the biggest games of Week 14.
- Playoff picture: You've seen the juicy matchups above. What transpires in Week 14 could really shake things up.
- Jerry Jones is to blame for Cowboys' mess: Dallas dropped its third consecutive game and put its NFC East lead in jeopardy. The Cowboys owner is at the center of the dysfunction, writes Nancy Armour.
- Troy Aikman criticizes Jerry Jones, Jason Garrett: Aikman was critical of Garrett and Jones after Thursday night's loss to the Bears.
- With record on the line, Michael Vick dishes on Lamar Jackson: With Jackson on the brink of breaking Vick's single-season record for rushing yards by a QB, Vick dished on the Ravens' MVP favorite.
- Don't be foolish by writing off the Patriots: Whenever Tom Brady and the Patriots take a misstep, their naysayers aren't far behind. But bury Bill Belichick's New England team at your own peril, writes Jarrett Bell.
- Offseason shopping lists: Shopping season hasn't yet arrived in the NFL, but several teams will soon be in the market for significant changes to improve their 2020 outlook.
- NFL hot seat rankings: Ron Rivera was the second NFL coach to be let go so far this season, and several others could also be dismissed in the coming weeks, writes Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz.
- These 3 AFC teams are making noise in stretch run: The Chiefs look like they could be a serious threat in the AFC, while the Titans and Bills shouldn't be taken lightly in the playoff push, either, writes Mike Jones.
- OBJ vague on future with Browns: Asked whether he wants to be with the Browns next season, what Odell Beckham Jr. said is probably not what Browns fans wanted to hear.
- 2020 NFL draft first-round order: If the season ended today, the Bengals would be on the clock. Here's an early look at a top 100 prospect rankings for next year's draft.
- Power rankings: See how each team stands entering Week 14. How did their loss to the Texans impact the Patriots?
- Weekly Pulse on YouTube: Stay up-to-date on the latest hot-button NFL topics, such as why the Titans are a lock on the road against the Raiders.
Fantasy football: Get your lineup right
If you're fortunate enough to have qualified for your league's fantasy football playoffs, we're here to help you set that lineup right.
- Fantasy rankings for Week 14: For your convenience, these position-by-position rankings were updated for this week's collection of games.
- Waiver wire: Get that roster in proper order for the playoffs.
- Studs, duds and sleepers: Here we examine players with good Week 14 matchups (Ryan Tannehill), bad matchups (Drew Brees) and non-stars you might want to consider starting (Jacoby Brissett).
Week 14 schedule
(All times Eastern)
Thursday
Sunday
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Indianapolis Colts at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets, 1 p.m. (CBS)
San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Denver Broncos at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Washington Redskins at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars, 4:05 p.m. (FOX)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Tennessee Titans at Oakland Raiders, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Monday
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
#NFL100
As the NFL celebrates its 100th season, we are unveiling our all-time 100 lists:
- 100 greatest players ever: 19 current and former reporters across the USA TODAY Sports Network compiled a list ranking the greatest NFL players of all time.
- Greatest players ever for every team: The USA TODAY Sports Network unveils the best players for each NFL team.
- 100 greatest teams in league history: 1999 St. Louis Rams. 1984 San Francisco 49ers. 1962 Green Bay Packers. 1950 Cleveland Browns. 1920 Akron Pros. Which is the greatest ever?
- 100 worst teams in league history: 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 2008 Detroit Lions. 2017 Cleveland Browns. 1944 Card-Pitt. 1920 Muncie Flyers. Which team set the all-time low?
- Greatest players ever by jersey number: From No. 00 Jim Otto to No. 99 J.J. Watt, these are the best players at 100 different uniform numbers.
- Greatest players from HBCU programs: The HBCU schools have a storied history and have produced many Pro Football Hall of Famers. These are the 100 greatest NFL players from HBCU programs.
- 100 biggest draft busts ever: The NFL draft has an extensive history of top picks who would only be remembered as busts.
- NFL's best and worst uniforms ever: Throughout the NFL's history, there have been some fantastic uniforms, and there are some that have been widely scorned.
- The best NFL broadcasters of all time: From John Madden to Joe Buck, here are the 50 greatest NFL broadcasters.
Meanwhile in the XFL ...
We're just over two months away from the kickoff of the reincarnated XFL. On Tuesday, the league's eight teams revealed their home and away uniforms.
- Photo gallery: Check out the helmets and uniforms for all eight XFL teams.
- The head coach trash talking begins: The XFL doesn’t play its first game until Feb. 8, yet the trash talking has already started, writes Kevin Allen.
- XFL uniform power rankings: While some teams will be looking sharp out on the field, others might want to go back to the drawing board, writes Nick Schwartz.
NFL Facebook group: Join now!
If you love talking football, we have the perfect place for you. Join our Facebook Group, The Ruling Off the Field, to engage in friendly debate and conversation with our NFL insiders and other football enthusiasts just like you.
Enjoy the football, sports fans!
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